Circulating valve



Aug. 24, 1943. c. w. sAvlTz GIRGULATING VALVE Filed June 6, 1958 F1 1 4.y umd 4 www, mw y Y s m M w f .7 m 46 a 8 2 2 262 o 7 a 2 H 2 .hn252291452244 SQ ,lW/N l fig .au f

BY m ATTORNEY` Patented Aug. 24, 194e CIRCULATIN G VALVE Christian W.Savitz, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Halliburton Oil Well CementingCompany,

Duncan, Okla.

Application June 6, 1938, Serial No. 212,054

3 Claims.

This invention relates to circulating valves, and more particularly to avalve arrangement suitable for use in drill pipe or the like in oilAwells.

Where pipe is run into a well it is sometimes desirable to provide avalve therein at some point above the lower end so that fluid may becirculated therethrough above some apparatus connected to the lower endof the pipe. This is especially true if a packer is run on the drillpipe to seal it either to the wall of the well or to casing therein, andvarious valve arrangements have been proposed for this purpose theseusually being referred to as circulating valves or circulating subs.

The present invention is primarily concerned with a circulating valvewhich can be used in connection with a formation tester of the typedisclosed in the United States patent to Simmons, No. 1,930,987, theReissue patent to Halliburton, No. 20,688, or in other types offormation testers. The circulating valve may also be used in variousother ways, as will be further explained hereinafter.

In circulating valves heretofore proposed, it has been common practicetc employ cooperating telescoped members with ports which may be broughtinto alignment when desired to permit iiuid to flow outwardlytherethrough but such circulating valve or circulating subs have notprevented the passage of fluid longitudinally through the telescopingmembers when the circulating valve is open, Awith the result that theflow of fluid through the circulating valve cannot always be effected.This is especially true if an attempt is made to reverse thecirculationthat is, pump fluid downwardly on the outside of the drillpipe or other conduit containing the circulating valve to force uidupwardly on the interior thereof.

It is one object of the present invention to devise a circulating valvein which longitudinal flow of fluid through the portions thereof isprevented when the circulating ports therein are y opened.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a circulating valve inwhich the normal circulation may be reversed and at the same timeprovide accurate control for the ow of fluid in drill pipe or otherconduit connected to the circulating valve.

It is still another object of the invention to devise a novelcombination of circulating valve and formation tester in which variousadvantages are attained.

It is still another object of the invention to devise a novelcombination of circulating valve and packer adapted for use inconnection with drill pipe or tubing and in which the parts especiallycooperate to produce new and advantageous results.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of thearrangement and construction of parts as will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of apparatus illustrating theprinciples of the invention, the arrangement showing a circulatingvalve'in connection with a formation tester and showing some of theparts cut away to illustrate the internal construction;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the circulatingvalve shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the portion of theparts when the valve is.

opened; and

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation, with a portion cut away, of acirculating valve similar to that shown in Figures l and 2, the valvebeing assembled with a wall packer and an anchor pipe.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and first to the assembly shown inFigure 1, it will be seen that the apparatus there shown includes aportion of a drill pipe il, a circulating valve assembly designatedgenerally at l 2, a formation tester designated generally at i3, a rathole packer i4 and a perforated section of pipe l5, these parts being.connected by suitable coupling members as illustrated and constitutingapparatus which may be lowered into the well by means of the drill pipe.Y

'I'he formation tester I3 may be of any known type, the arrangementillustrated being similar to that disclosed in the Halliburton ReissuePatent No. 20,688, reissued April 5, 1938, for Apparatus for testing oilwells. This particular type of formation tester is generally referred toas a J-type tool, this being due to the fact that it is provided with aJ-slot and pin connection for controlling its operation. Thus theformation tester may include a central mandrel only a portion of whichis shown in Figure 1 and which is designated I6. The mandrel is providedwith one or more pins Il which cooperate with one or more slots i8 in asleeve I9 which receives the mandrel I6 and which is integral with themain body of the formation tester and integral with the packer I4. Itwill be seen that with the construction as illustrated in Figure 1, themandi-n1 i 6 may be moved downwardly with respect to the sleeve I9 onlyafter it has been rotated to the right (as viewed from the top) from theposition illustrated, and it will be understood that it is in responseto relative movement between the mandrel I6 and the sleeve I9 that theValve in the formation tester is opened. The pin and slot arrangementcould of course be so constructed that the tool would be rotated to theleft to open the formation tester valve, but it is preferable to have itoperate as illustrated unless the direction of rotation of thecirculating valve described hereinafter1 is also reversed.

By means of coupling members 20, the mandrel I6 of the formation testeris connected to a nipple 2| which is in turn screw threaded into thelower end of the circulating valve assembly l2, the lower end of thisassembly being provided with screw threads 22 as shown in Figure 2 forthis purpose.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, the circulating valve assemblyincludes an outer cylindrical member or sleeve 23 to which a guiding andlifting member 24 is screw threaded at the upper end and to which acoupling and packing member 25 is screw threaded at the lower end.Within the sleeve 23 a mandrel 26 is mounted, this mandrel beingprovided with screw threads at its upper end as shown at 2l to providemeans for making connection to the drill pipe Il as shown in Figure 1.

At its lower end the mandrel 26 is provided with an enlargement 28 whichis tapered at its upper and lower surfaces and which provides means fortransmitting force from the mandrel to the sleeve 23. The upper shoulder29 of the enlargement 28 cooperates with a similar shoulder 3l'l on thebottom of the member 24 when the mandrel'is lifted up, as when tensionis taken in the drill pipe, and the bottom shoulder 3| cooperates with asimilar shoulder 32 formed within the sleeve 23 to transmit downwardforce from the mandrel to the sleeve 23 and thence to any membersmounted on the lower end of the circulating valve assembly when thedrill pipe and mandrel are sei; down with respect to the sleeve 23.-

Some means is also provided between the mandrel 26 and the sleeve 23 forcontrolling relative movement therebetween. In the arrangementillustrated, this consists of a number of pins and cooperating J-slots,but these are to be considered as illustrative only, it being within thepurview of the invention to employ various types of threaded connectionsor to use mutilated threads for controlling relative longitudinalmovement between the members until they have been rotated relative toone another a predetermined amount. In the control means illustrated,pins 33 are screwed into the sleeve 23 and extend inwardly therefrom.J-slots 34 are provided in the enlargement 28 of the mandrel 26 so as toreceive the pins 33. As best shown in Figure l, each J- slot 34 is ofsuch shape that the pin 33 normally remains in the upper lateral portionthereof but when the mandrel is lifted and rotated to the left the slotsmove with respect to the pins until the pins `are in the portionof theslots which have the greatest longitudinal dimension so that the pin andslot arrangement no longer confines or limits relative longitudinalmovement between the members.

Beneath the enlargement 28 and the control openings36 substantiallymidway of its length but which is closed at the bottom as illustrated at31. With the parts in the position shown in Figure 2, it will be"seenthat the ports 36 in the sleeve 35 are within an enlarged opening 38 inthe lower coupling member 25. Means is thus provided for the flow offluid from whatever' device is connected to the lower end of thecoupling member 25 up through the enlarged passageway 38 and the ports36 into the interior of the sleeve 35 and thence upwardly through thebore 39 of the mandrel 26 to the drill pipe or whatever is connected tothe upper end of the circulating valve assembly by means of the threadedconnection 21.

Above the vopenings 36 the sleeve 35 connected to the mandrel, passesthrough two sections of packing illustrated at 40 and 4I. This packingis preferably of the Chevron type as illustrated and is mounted withinthe sleeve 23 and compressed and held in position by the coupling member25 which is screw threaded to the sleeve 23 as illustrated. The packingelements 40 and 4I may be mounted either face to face or back to backand provide effective means for preventing any uid from flowing betweenthe sleeves 23 and 35, and since the ports 36 within the sleeve 35 arenormally beneath the packing, the arrangement is such that theconnections are the same as though no circulating valve were employedwhen the parts are in the position shown in Figure 2.

Assuming now that it is desired to open the circulating valve, themandrel 26 is rotated to the left (as viewed from the top) and picked upso that it moves upwardly Within the sleeve 23 until the shoulder 29strikes the shoulder 3U, the parts then taking the position shown inFigure 3. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sleeve 23 is provided with anumber of openings 42 at any convenient point beneath the pins 33 and asthe mandrel is raised upwardly fluid may flow through these ports andthe ports 36 within the sleeve 35 either to .or from the bore 39 withinthe mandrel 26. At the same time, the portion 3l of the sleeve A35 isbrought up Within the packing dll-4I so that the longitudinal or normalflow through the mandrel is sealed olf.

From the above description it will be clear that the circulating valveassembly performs two functions. It provides means for connecting theinterior of the drill pipe to the exterior thereof and it provides meansfor positively preventing the flow of fluid through the drill .pipe tosome point beneath the circulating valve when the circulating valve isopen. As noted above, these functions are of particular importance whenthe circulating valve is used in connection with a formation tester.

Assuming that the assembly is as shown in Figure 1, it will be seen thatthe circulating valve is mounted above the formation tester and may becontrolled independently thereof. This is due primarily to the fact thatthe circulating valve opens by rotation to the left, whereas theformation tester valve opens by rotation to the right, but it is alsodue in part, and may be due Wholly, to the fact that the valve of theformation tester may be of such type as to be biased by the mud pressureor otherwise constructed as to require more pressure to open than isrequired to open the circulating valve. f

The advantages of the combination of the particular circulating valveshown and the formation tester will be apparent from a consideration ofthe manner in which this combination may be operated.

Let 'us assume that the assembly has been run into the well, and thepacker seated, both the circulating valve and the tester valve remainingclosed during the seating operation. The apparatus is now ready to takea sample of the formation. This is done by opening the tester valve, thedrill pipe being rotated to the right and set down. The circulatingvalve does not open because rotation to the left is required to open it,and the parts of the circulating valve remain in the position shown inFigure 2. As the fluid from the formation ilows upwardly through theformation tester, therefore, it flows through the ports 35 in the sleeve35 and upwardly through the bore 39 of the mandrel 26 into the drillpipe il. After a suitable interval of time the valve in the formationtester is closed by lifting or picking up the drill pipe.

The present invention provides means for removing the oil or other fluidfrom the formation which is then in the drill pipe and replacing it withmud or other heavy uid before the drill pipe is removed from the well.This is often desirable, especially where the sample of fluid from theformation contains considerable gas which is apt to head up and causethe oil to be blown from the drill pipe while removing the same from thewell after the test has been made.

To carry on these operations the drill pipe is rotated to the left andpicked up while the packer iii is still seated, the circulating Valvebeing opened by this operation. At the same time mud is circulated in areverse direction, that is,'it is circulated downwardly on the outsideof the drill pipe and flows inwardly through the ports t2 in the sleeve23 and thence through the ports 36 in the sleeve 35 and upwardly throughthe bore 38 of the mandrel 26, thus forcing the sample from theformation upwardly through the drill pipe. The sample of formation fluidmay loev thus caused to flowout through the drill pipe through the flowlines and into the pit. In this way an accurate gauge of the amount ofoil in the drill pipe can be obtained, the drill pipe is filled with mudand the mud lon the outside of the drill pipe is prevented from becomingcontaminated with oil. I

As the circulating valve is opened, or immediately after it is opened,the packer is lifted off of its seat and the mud in the well enters therat hole or portion of the well beneath the packer so as to hold theformation pressure so that there is no chance of the well blowing outeven though the formation pressure is high.

It will be seen further that when the circulating valve is opened theportion 31 of the sleeve 35 connected to the mandrel seals off thechamber provided by the connections between the circulating valve andthe formation tester. Both the formation tester valve and the valve 31being closed, a sample of the formation fluid is entrapped therebetween.It will be seen that this entrapped sample is from the extreme bottom ofthe amount of fluid which entered the assembly from the formation duringthe taking of the sample and there is this portion which is usually ofmost interest to the oil operator. If it isdesired to entrap a greateramount of the sample, the circulating valve may be separated from theformation tester by an additional amount of .pipeP than that illustratedin the drawing.

The circulating valve may be used for various purposes' other than inconnection with a formation tester, and Figure 4 shows one such adapta*-tion. In this figure a circulating valve identical in construction tothat shown in Figures 2 and 3 ls connected to the upper shoe 43 of awall packer 44 which is in turn connected to an anchor pipe 45 by asuitable connecting pipe 45. With this arrangement it will be apparentthat drill pipe or tubing can be packed o in a well being supported bythe anchor pipe t5, the packer being set While the parts of thecirculating valve are in the position shown in Figure 2.

Should it be desired to open the circulating valve this can be done byrotating the drill pipe no fluid can flow through the packer butcirculation above the packer can be'eiected either in the ordinary or inthe reverse direction.

The arrangement shown and described herein may be used to advantage inconnection with the acidizing of oil wells, as disclosed in UnitedStates Patent No. 2,143,251, granted January 10, 1939, to Christian W.Savitz. The circulating valve may also be used in various other ways, aswill g5 be apparent to those skilled in the art.

From the above description, it will be clear that the invention residesprimarily in the structure of the circulating valve assembly and in thecombination of this device with a packer and 80 with a formation tester.The circulatingl valve arrangement illustrated is of the type in which amandrel is telescoped within a sleeve and the valve arrangement is ofthe sleeve type, but it is obvious that other constructions than thatillustrated could be employed and that in its broader aspects anyarrangement for providing a conduit for the flow of fluid from end toend of the assembly would be the equivalent provided the construction issuch that the conduit can be closed 4,9 and communication establishedbetween the exterior and interior of the assembly at the desired time. I

While only one embodiment of the circulating valve has been shown anddescribed herein,

therefore, it is obvious that various changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritof the invention or the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A circulating valve assembly adapted for use with pipe in an oil wellor the like, said assembly including a central hollow mandrel and anouter sleeve telescoped together, coupling means on said mandrel andsleeve for limiting relative longitudinal and rotative movementtherebetween, and packing means between the mandrel and sleeve, saidsleeve having ports therein and said mandrel having ports therein whichmay be brought into juxtaposition with the ports in the sleeve toestablish communication for ow of uid between the interior and theexterior of said assembly when the mandrel is moved into onelongitudinal position with respect to said sleeve and which may bepassed through said packing means to close and prevent communication, asaforesaid, when the mandrel is moved to another longitudinal positionwith respect to said sleeve, said mandrel also having means cooperatingwith said packing means for preventing longitudinal flow of uid throughthe assembly when communication is established between the interior andexterior thereof, as aforesaid.

2. A method of testing the productivity of a 75 formation encountered ina well containing drillor tubing to the left. When the valve is opened ling fluid, which includes lowering an empty string of pipe, sealed atits lower end, into the Well through the drilling uid to a pointadjacent the formation, packing off the drilling fluid from theformation at a point above the formation, breaking the seal at the lowerend of the pipe after packing oi the drilling fluid to permit cognatefluid from the formation to enter the pipe, again sealing the pipeagainst the entrance of fluid from the well by movement of the'pipe,

opening the pipe at a point above the point where formation encounteredin a well containing drilling fluid, which includes lowering an emptystringI through the drilling fluid to a point adjacent the formation,packing off the drilling fluid from the formation at a point above theformation, breaking the seal at the lower end of the pipe to permitcognate fluid from the formation to enter said pipe, again sealing thepipe toprevent further entrance of fluid into the pipe, sealing the pipeat a point spaced from the bottom to entrap a sample of the cognatefluid between the bottom and the point spaced from the bottom of thepipe, opening the pipe at a point above both seals and above the pointwhere the drilling mud is packed 01T and circulating drilling fluiddownwardly on the outside of said pipe, into the pipe through saidopening and upwardly on the inside of said pipe to force the cognatefluid of pipe, sealed at its lower end, into the well in said pipe tothe surface of the well;

CHRISTIAN W. SAVITZ.

